Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

Abstract

An exposure apparatus is configured so that a wafer carrier robot can deliver a wafer to a wafer holder held by a holder carrier robot or can carry out a wafer from the wafer holder held by the holder carrier robot, under a reduced-pressure environment. According to the apparatus, even if it takes a relatively long time to replace the wafer on the wafer holder used inside the reduced pressure space, by performing the wafer exchange operation and a predetermined operation (the exposure apparatus main section operation) using the stage on which the wafer holder holding the wafer is mounted concurrently, the influence that the wafer exchange time has on the throughput can be suppressed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This non-provisional application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60 / 906,516 filed Mar. 13, 2007, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to exposure apparatus and device manufacturing methods, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus which exposes an object with an energy beam, and a device manufacturing method which uses the exposure apparatus.[0004]2. Description of the Background Art[0005]Conventionally, in a lithography process for manufacturing semiconductor devices such as ICs (integrated circuits), a projection exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern of a mask or a reticle on a wafer via a projection optical system, such as, for example, a reduction projection exposure apparatus (so-called stepper) by the step-and-repeat method, a reduction projection exposure apparatus...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]According to this apparatus, the object carrier system can carry an object to the holding device that the holding device carrier system holds, or can carry out an object from the holding device that the holding device carrier system holds under a reduced-pressure environment. That is, the object carrier system makes it possible to perform object exchange on the holding device held by the holding device carrier system. Accordingly, even if it takes a relatively long time to exchange the object on the holding device (for example, a holding device that holds an object by electrostatic force) used in a reduced-pressure space, the influence that the object exchange time has on throughput can be suppressed by concurrently performing the object exchange operation and a predetermined operation (an exposure apparatus main section operation) that is performed using the object stage on which the holding device holding the object is mounted.

Problems solved by technology

However, the wafer holder by the electrostatic chuck method has a longer response time when compared to the vacuum chuck.

More specifically, the wafer holder by the electrostatic chuck method requires a relatively long time after placing a wafer on a wafer holder until electrostatic force has been started and a predetermined adhesion force is obtained, and also requires a relatively long time after finishing (releasing) the electrostatic force until a wafer becomes removable, when recovering the wafer from the wafer holder.

Accordingly, there is a concern of the response time of these electrostatic chucks decreasing the throughput of the exposure apparatus.

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